7 tips for guys who want great senior portraits

7 Tips For Guys Who Want Great Senior Portraits!

1. Anxious?

There's no reason to be anxious about having your photos taken. Yes, we realize that you don't want to be posed like the ladies. (Unless you do, and that's totally fine too.) If it's one thing I know, it's how one's portraits can change one's opinion of themselves. For many of you, this is the last formal photo you'll have before you'll have an engagement session or wedding photos on your wedding day. We want to make sure that your portraits show who you are, so relax. I'll bring music along; just tell me what you want to hear and I'll make a playlist. I find this helps the photo session flow.

2. Arrival To Your Photo Session:

Gentlemen, arriving early or on time is of the utmost importance. Showing up late to your session simply means that you will have less time in front of the lens. I find that it takes about 10 minutes or so for nerves to be calmed and then we can start capturing true expressions. If you do happen to be running late, it'd be nice to shoot me a text to let me know.

We give you unlimited wardrobe changes, so bringing a lot of clothing options is key. Lots of clothing options we can mix and match will give us more flexibility to choose the best outfit to play off the outdoor surroundings. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE iron all your dress clothes. Not only will this help eliminate unneeded wrinkles, it'll give a more polished and refined look to your portraits. If you don't know how to iron... GASP!... Say this: "Hey Mom, Would you be willing to iron these clothes for my photo session with B. Farnum Photography?" One, she'll be super impressed that you had the foresight to think about how much better this will look, and two,you could add in I think you'll like the photos better if you look well-pressed. After this is done, remember to hang the items on hangers so the clothes stay looking so fresh and so clean. Try to the best of your ability to avoid stripes, plaids, graphics and shirts with various words on them. This all distracts from you the subject. If you're going to wear an undershirt I always suggest black or gray v-necks under the dress shirts to form clean and defined lines, if you're not going to wear a tie. (Bonus points to those who actually know how to tie a tie!)

Another side note, pulling clothes out of a gym bag is frowned upon. The only clothes that you should ever pull out of your gym bag are simply that, gym clothes. One last thought on clothing: If you're not comfortable in the clothing you choose, it will show. Make sure everything fits properly. Yes, this does mean that you might have to go into a fitting room at the clothing store. There's a reason fitting rooms exist, to make sure your clothes actually fit. There's a novel idea.

4. Shoes:

A variety of casual and dress shoes would be ideal. Try and stay away from athletic shoes or flip flops. Remember this adage: You want your belt color to match your shoe color.

5. We Give Props To Props:

Props are a great way to show off who you are. Popular choices would be sports equipment, uniforms, musical instruments and/or pets.

6. Glasses:

Since I'm a proud owner of spectacles myself, I have a good tip for you. I would suggest asking your eye doctor if they happen to have a pair of similar glasses that you could borrow without the lenses in them so the glare isn't an issue.

7. Blemishes:

Please don't worry about blemishes; it happens. Don't stress. Stressing will only cause your skin to be more prone to breakouts. We can take care of any areas of concern in our editing process.